(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to agricultural irrigation and more particularly to irrigating crops by flowing water along furrows.
(2) Description of the Prior Art and Related Art
It has long been known that one type of agricultural irrigation is by gated pipe. Gated pipe is so named because it has necks with valves at regular intervals, e.g., every 40". If the valve is open, water will flow through the neck if the furrows of the crop land are spaced at 40" intervals and it is desired to water every row, then every valve can be open and the water flow out of each neck into a furrow to irrigate it. Of course, if because of agricultural practices it is only desired to water every third row, then every third valve (or gate) could be opened.
Gated pipe is often used with permanent underground supply pipes. These underground supply pipes having surface valves at regular intervals at the surface of the ground. The surface valves are sometimes called alfalfa valves in the trade. Gated pipe can be connected to these valves.
After one hand or portion of a field is watered, the gated pipe is manually disconnected from one surface valve of the supply pipe, manually moved to the next surface valve of the supply pipe, reconnected, the surface valve opened, and the irrigation continued. Above ground supply pipes are often used instead of underground supply pipes.
In certain instances, short, flexible socks, such as short tubes of canvas would be connected to the necks and put into the rows to prevent the water from eroding the furrows where the water flowed from the neck of the gate into the furrow. This might be considered somewhat similar to the disclosure of SCHUTMAAT, U.S. Pat. No. 2,174,600.
Also, in recent times, the fields have been irrigated by a surge valve attached to the gated pipe. In irrigation using a surge valve, the water is connected from the supply pipe into the surge valve. The gated pipe is connected to surge valve with half the gates located to one side of the surge valve and half the gates connected to the other side. Then, the surge valve automatically alternates the water from the supply pipes to one half of the gates or the other half of the gates of the gated pipe. There are many manufactures of surge valves as discussed in the May 1986 edition of The Cross Section, vol. 32, no. 5, page 2. The Cross Section is a monthly publication of the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, Lubbock, Tex. The advantages of the surge valve is that the same land can be watered more evenly with less water and less time. Some surge valves weigh as much as 100 pounds in addition to a 12 volt battery used to supply power to the surge valve.
Before this invention, the surge valve, battery, and gated pipe were manually handled upon completion of irrigating one land or portion of a field.
On a commercial basis, the gated pipe, used with or without a surge valve, was always moved by hand from one valve to another. Sometimes, the joints of the pipe may have been disconnected and loaded onto a cart or wagon, but they were always disconnected, loaded, unloaded, and reconnected by hand.
Before this invention, the gated pipe was normally put on the ground and the water flowed from the necks within 3" to 4" of the gated pipe. To keep the water from flowing upon the turn row, it was necessary to build a dike or a dam between the rows and the turn row so that all the water was directed into the field and not upon the turn row. Normally, the gated pipe would be on the field side of the dam, i.e., in the mud and water. Therefore, to move the pipe, normally the farmer had to wade in the mud, lift heavy equipment, etc.
The manual handling of a 100 pound surge valve and connecting and disconnecting a 12 volt battery is difficult.
In sprinkler irrigation systems a pipe has several sprinklers attached to the pipe for the distribution of the water from the pipe. Some sprinkler irrigation systems have carriages or trucks attached to the pipe to move the pipe axially of the pipe.
Before this application was filed, the applicant caused a search to be made in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. That search showed many patents having carriages for moving sprinkler irrigation pipe axially of the pipe. In addition to SCHUTMAAT, discussed above, the following patents were found on that search:
WIBERG U.S. Pat. No. 854,680 PA1 MITCHELL U.S. Pat. No. 1,429,756 PA1 TOBIN U.S. Pat. No. 2,742,319 PA1 CORNELIUS U.S. Pat. No. 2,769,664 PA1 TOUTON U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,498 PA1 INGRAM ET AL U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,559 PA1 MORGAN U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,876 PA1 WAGNER U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,140
These patents are considered pertinent because the applicant believes the Examiner would consider anything revealed by an experienced patent searcher to be relevant and pertinent to the examination of this application. CL SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
(1) Progressive Contribution to the Art
This application discloses the invention whereby the gated pipe is permanently mounted on a carrier in the form of individual carts or trucks. Therefore, the pipe can be transported by attaching a towing vehicle, such as a pickup truck, to the gated pipe and towing it to the new location.
The preferred embodiment utilizes a two wheel cart or truck to be attached at the middle of each length or joint of gated pipe. The gated pipe is connected together by flexible joints in the form of flexible sleeves such as made from canvas or synthetic material. The joints would be structurally connected by clamping a half hinge to each pipe and have the hinges pivoted together about a vertical pin or bolt.
It will be understood that this invention is particularly advantageous with the surge system of irrigation. Since the land is watered in less time, it is necessary to move the gated pipe more often. Therefore, if the gated pipe can move quickly by a towing vehicle, less time is spent moving the pipe; and therefore, a greater percentage of time is spent flowing the water upon the field to be irrigated.
With the trucks attached to the pipe as described, the gated pipe will track the towing vehicle to a reasonable degree. I.e., as disclosed in INGRAM ET AL, (see above) the towed pipe will basically follow in that tracks of the towing vehicle, although not precisely so.
an elongated tube, preferably rigid, is attached by a small flexible sleeve to the necks in the gated pipe. This is necessary because the gated pipe is maintained on dry land, away from the agricultural field upon which the water is flowed. The truck will run on the turn row side of the dam or dike. Therefore, with the flexible tube connecting the rigid tubes to the gated pipe, the tubes can be extended out to the row to be irrigated. Also, this gives a certain amount of latitude in case the necks of the gated pipe are not exactly aligned with the furrows of the land. Also, the rigid tubes will act to make a better transition of the water into the furrow so that undesirable erosion is reduced. When the gated pipe is to be moved, each of the rigid pipes can quickly be folded or moved from a position transverse of the gated pipe to a position parallel to the gated pipe and the rigid tube supported in racks upon the gated pipe or the trucks.
In contrast with the prior art, it may be seen that the gated pipe, together with its trucks, the surge valve, and the farmer when operating, would all be located upon dry ground of the turn row, and there would be no need for the farmer, the gated pipe, or any of the equipment to be in the mud.
Also, this invention places the gates or valves within the tube which is connected by flexible hose to the neck. With this arrangement, the tubes, together with the flexible hose by which they are connected to the neck are disconnected from the neck and stored in a sheltered place when not in use. Being stored in a sheltered place greatly extends the life of the gate valves as well as the flexible tubes. If the farmer desires, he can quickly and easily disconnect the different joints of the gated pipe so that they too can be stored in a compact manner. However, since the tubes and the surge valves are already removable from the remainder of the gated pipes, these units can be left on the turn rows connected. Most farmers will prefer, however, to take the particular joint or truck upon which the surge valve and battery is mounted and store it in a sheltered place when not in use.
(2) Objects of this Invention
An object of this invention is to irrigate agricultural fields by flowing water thereon.
Further objects are to achieve the above with devices that are sturdy, compact, durable, lightweight, simple, safe, efficient, versatile, ecologically compatible, energy conserving, and reliable, yet inexpensive and easy to manufacture, connect, adjust, move, and maintain.
The specific nature of the invention, as well as other objects, uses, and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from the following description and from the accompanying drawing, the different views of which are not scale drawings.